Dear Dr. Mutt,

I don't want to sound like I dislike folks who are different from me, but I have this problem with our new neighbors who moved in next door. The people are OK, but the horses are covered with ticks.

Dog bug season is more outrageous than ever this year, and it's because the horses brought more than their share of those annoying arachnids into the neighborhood. The dogs down the street are also concerned about it, but what can we say or do without sounding like we're narrow minded?

Bitten at the Beach

Dear Bitten,

Our equestrian brothers are built to bear burdens. It's in their DNA. And of course, they can't scratch like we can. All they have are their tales, and some don't even have that! So they are pretty much doomed to carry whatever hops on their backs, ticks included, and go wherever they are led. They came with their masters so just give them a wide berth and don't go barking at them from behind. Their kick is worse than your bite!

Sparky